Metalforming companies continue to be optimistic about the economy, according to the February 2020 Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) Business Conditions Report. When asked to predict economic activity for the next three months, 30 percent of members surveyed said they expect an improvement, down from 32 percent in January. Only 10 percent expect a decline. The […]
Domestic mills won back market share from imports in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Even though the steel market contracted by 1.9 percent in 2019, shipments by U.S. mills to domestic locations increased by 2.9 percent as imports declined. Table 1 shows 13 years of history of total steel supply to the U.S. market in short […]
If the coronavirus leads to a global pandemic, it will severely disrupt steel production. Figure 1 shows annualized monthly global steel production on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis and capacity utilization since January 2000. Based on OECD data (see below), the 3MMA for capacity utilization in January was 83.0 percent, down from 88.2 percent […]
CRU’s U.S. Midwest hot-dipped galvanized (HDG) coil base price index will be used in the settlement of the CME Group’s new cash-settled U.S. Midwest Domestic Steel Premium (CRU) Futures contract. As announced earlier today by CME Group, the contract will settle on the premium of CRU’s HDG coil base price over the established CRU U.S. […]
Sky Island Capital, a Dallas-based private equity firm, has made a majority investment in Polished Metals Limited alongside the founding Lazarus family. Headquartered in Hillside, N.J., Polished Metals is one of the country’s largest polishers and suppliers of architectural and ornamental metals, offering a variety of finishes and metals to several end markets, including the […]
After the early-February blip when SMU reported the foreign versus domestic hot rolled price spread as slightly widening, we now see that foreign prices have declined a bit more than domestic prices. As a result, the price advantage held by U.S.-produced HRC has begun to shrink again, meaning foreign import prices are somewhat more attractive […]
Canadian steel producer Stelco Holdings cited challenging market conditions and an “unprecedented” drop in steel prices for its fourth-quarter loss. Stelco reported a net loss of $27 million for the quarter on sales of $435 million, down from $648 millon in the prior-year quarter, due to lower steel prices and shipping volumes. Full year net […]
A surge in business activity in New York State surprised economists in February. The Empire State Manufacturing Survey’s general business index shot up eight points for a reading of 12.9, well above the forecast consensus of 4.0 and posting its highest level since May 2019. Business conditions improved across the board except for a softening […]
Based on our analysis of 10 economic indicators, the decline in manufacturing slowed in February’s data. This report summarizes 10 data streams that describe the state of U.S. manufacturing in general and the steel industry in particular. We have reported on most of these separately in our Steel Market Update publications, and therefore will be […]
In this report we examine the change in currency values of the 16 pre-eminent global steel and iron ore trading nations. The U.S. dollar has strengthened against 10 of the 16 currencies in the last three months. In January we replaced the British pound in this report with the Vietnamese dong in recognition that Vietnam […]
In three months through December, demand for total rolled products declined by 6.1 percent. This Premium analysis by Steel Market Update is based on steel mill shipment data from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and import-export data from the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC). It is meant as a more in-depth look compared […]
The following article on the hot rolled coil (HRC) steel and financial futures markets was written by Jack Marshall of Crunch Risk LLC. Here is how Jack saw trading over the past week: Steel HR futures prices have retraced lower since the beginning of the year in spite of the mill price increases. Tepid demand/extra […]
Net job creation in January was an encouraging 225,000, up from 147,000 in November, but down from the exceptional result of 261,000 in October. In the January report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) made substantial historical revisions. In this SMU analysis, we revised our data back to January 2017. Rising employment and wages are […]
January’s employment report was a downer for manufacturing, but construction was particularly strong. The net increase in employed persons was 225,000 in January, of which 108,000 were in health, education and leisure activities. In January, 44,000 jobs were created in construction and 12,000 jobs lost in manufacturing. The private sector gained 206,000 jobs in January […]
Automakers are being challenged to put their best vehicles forward in the fight against climate change. Europe’s new emissions regulations for passenger and light commercial vehicles went into effect as of Jan. 1 this year. Going forward, auto manufacturers selling cars in the EU will work toward a 15 percent reduction of CO2 emissions by […]
When SMU last reported on foreign hot rolled prices on Jan. 23, we questioned whether the U.S. price attraction may be slipping, as the price spread had shrunk for all three foreign indices we compare. This week we see that has not been the case as German and Italian HRC prices have risen through February, […]
SMU contributor Tim Stevenson is a partner at Metal Edge Partners, a firm engaged in Risk Management and Strategic Advisory. In this role, he and his firm design and execute risk management strategies for clients along with providing process and analytical support. In Tim’s previous role, he was a Director at Cargill Risk Management, and […]
By CRU’s China Steel Team, with Senior Analysts Richard Lu and Erik Hedborg. On Monday, Feb. 3, financial markets and commodity trade resumed after the extended Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday caused by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Equity markets fell sharply as fears of economic slowdown prompted investors to push the sell button. […]
Manufacturing grew in January along with the overall economy, reported the Institute for Supply Management. ISM’s January PMI gained 3.1 points from December to register 50.9, above the crucial no-change mark of 50. New orders and production pulled from contraction to post respective index readings of 52.0 percent and 54.3 percent for the month, said […]
Global manufacturing performed slightly better in January, according the latest J.P. Morgan Global Manufacturing PMI. The composite PMI rose to a nine-month high of 50.4 from December’s reading of 50.1, although only slightly above the no-growth mark of 50.0. Consumer and intermediate goods led the increase as investment goods continued to contract further. Output rose […]
As advanced as steelmaking has become, producing steel is still an inherently carbon- and energy-intensive process. Steel mills in the United States and the rest of the world find themselves in the crosshairs of the many environmental and political groups now calling for dramatic steps to reduce harmful air emissions and slow the pace of […]
By CRU Principal Economist Lisa Morrison and Economist Anissa Chabib, from CRU’s Economic Outlook CRU Economics ran its fourth annual survey to gauge our clients’ expectations of economic conditions for 2020. We elicited responses across CRU’s full product portfolio and received information from 182 clients, working in 41 different countries. This feature presents the results […]
Both steel and scrap prices increased in the month of January, raising with them optimism levels over market conditions one month into the new year. The average price for hot rolled steel rose by about $30 per ton in January. The benchmark price for hot rolled peaked at $610 per ton in mid-January, but ended the […]
U.S active rig counts decreased this past week, while Canadian rigs increased, according to oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The active drill rigs count is important to the steel industry because it is a leading indicator of oil country tubular goods demand. The number of active U.S. rigs fell by 4 to 790, with oil […]
China increased steel production by three million metric tons in December. Figure 1 shows annualized monthly global steel production on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis and capacity utilization since January 2000. Based on OECD data (see below), capacity utilization in December on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis was 80.9 percent, down from 86.3 […]
The Conference Board report of consumer confidence in January shows stability at a high level based on 10 years of history. The composite value of consumer confidence in January, reported by The Conference Board, was 131.6 with a three-month moving average (3MMA) of 128.9. The 3MMA has decreased from 132.1 in September, but was up […]
The Chicago Business Barometer, a leading indicator of Midwest manufacturing, dropped to its lowest level since December 2014, said MNI Indicators. The PMI posted a reading of 42.9 in January following two months of gains. The three-month average dipped to 45.9. Any reading below 50 indicates contraction. New orders fell 6.1 points to 41.5 and […]
Demand is looking good for the steel industry this year, especially in the construction sector, said panel members on the Steel Manufacturers Association media call today. Dave Sumoski, Nucor Executive Vice President – Merchant and Rebar Products, noted that construction is a major area for Nucor. The market for steel bar is very strong with […]
Steel Market Update is pleased to share this Premium content with Executive-level subscribers. For more information on upgrading to a Premium-level subscription, email Info@SteelMarketUpdate.com. The first estimate of U.S. GDP growth in Q4 2019 was 2.1 percent, unchanged from Q3. On a trailing 12-month basis, GDP grew at 2.32 percent in the fourth quarter. On […]
The U.S.-Mexico-Canada-Agreement was signed into law by President Trump on Wednesday. The signing clears the way for Canada to begin the ratification process that is likely to be concluded in March. The president called the agreement the “largest, fairest, most balanced, and modern trade agreement ever achieved.” “Everybody said this was a deal that could […]